Just Enough

Sometimes it's startling how amazing Grace finds its way into your life... how an ordinary moment can turn holy when hearts are in tune with the rhythms of Him.

I'm on the phone with a long-time friend, catching up on life and wishing him all the birthday blessings for another year of life. The years have now brought him a lovely wife and two children and, through losses and joys, our friendship has continued since childhood. There's truly something special about the gift of longevity... 

My friend is a farmer, and he's sharing with me the frustrations and hardships of having to cultivate in a drought. Months and months of little to no rain with no relief in sight have tested the perseverance of the agrarians and their survival. Limited crops have resulted in limited income, forcing farmers in his area to get creative about how to support their families and themselves. And yet, my friend still manages to dispense a bit of wisdom he's discovered along the way. 

Farm, and you have much time to think as you till soil, turn over brown-earth and connect with the world your Lord has created...

He tells me how, in these trying days, even the act of planting is, in itself, faith exercised. There is no guarantee of a harvest, especially without the promise of adequate rainfall. But even so, he goes on to say, "I've learned to plant that seed and trust God that there will always be just enough rain. Maybe not an ideal amount or the perfect growing season, but I've learned to believe that God will still help us harvest a crop and there will be just enough rain to make that happen." 

Just. Enough. 

Maybe this is what Jesus meant when He said "if you had faith the size of a mustard seed..." 

Maybe it isn't so much about the size of your faith in God as it is the size of the God in your faith. 

Suddenly, I'm wondering if I've looked at it all wrong all this time. That, while it's good to expect and pray for big things from God, perhaps sometimes we set ourselves up for a let-down because we're missing the point of what He really said to ask for: "Give us this day our daily bread." Not tomorrow's bread, not yesterday's bread. Today's. 

And if mercies really are renewed every morning, then the manna of the here and now ought to be where I'm most focused. While I ask for the Spirit-rain and believe in God's ability to pour out in abundance even in the face of impossibility, I also need to be asking for "just enough..." 

Just enough Grace to see me through...

Just enough God to carry me...

Just enough light to see the darkened way...

Because that I have been assured of. 

Every single day we're planting seeds of investment, running solely on faith for promised outcomes. Perhaps not the ones we want or would've envisioned, but promised nonetheless. We're putting our faith into life-action, trusting God for what we do not see while we rely on strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all ours in the here and now. 

What if you plant today in the faith you will reap with joy what is given, not allowing the not-given to spoil it? What if you begin to live in the knowledge that there will always be a supply from above?

I know sometimes we sow in tears and a plentiful result feels so very, very distant. Like my friend says, there's no guarantee you'll get the conditions that are optimal. But are you still, even in the pain, putting your faith into play and trusting Him that there will be just enough? 

Soul-droughts, as with real droughts, create dependence and perseverance. Cause the heart to keep relying on hidden hope and truths past-revealed to remind itself that God will give what you need in order to be sustained. He never did abandon in past seasons of lack, and He certainly isn't about to now. 

My friend has seen God come through time and time again...provide what's been needed. And here, in this brief moment, he's reminded me to keep sowing, keep scattering, keep believing. Because, while it hasn't been ideal, it's still been enough. Always enough.